I've got a Saturn Vue. And it's a good car. It's one of the Saturn VUE Hybrids. And the Hybrid part is probably the only problem with the car.
I've never driven the Dodge Dakota, although I could use a robust and powerful American-made pick-up truck like the Dodge Dakota. I also haven't taken the Dodge Charger for a spin, though the 2009 Dodge Charger looks like a heck of a car. It's a powerful street car. Presumably for single guys. Or middle-aged guys soon to be single. Sigh.
And the Ford Fiesta 2011 looks nice enough, but too small for a married guy with kids, like me. Even by 2011, it's not going to be practical for me. And how long have car makers been announcing models of cars for two or three years down the line? Apparently, Ford does.
But . . . I have a Saturn Vue. Specifically, the Saturn Vue Greenline Hybrid. And it's my favorite car, aside from my Nissan Pathfinder, which I loved, but had to trade in for a variety of reasons not related to the awesome performance of the car. Still, I like my Saturn Vue. It runs well, has heated front seats, plenty of cupholders, and a little fold out/fold down grocery bag holder in the back. The stock stereo system came with the ability to play MP3 CDs and an auxillary port for iPods or whatnot, and also--very smartly--came equipped with an XM sattelite radio with 6 months of free satellite radio. Very cool. The Dodge Grand Caravan that I owned before the Saturn didn't even have an option package (from Dodge) for MP3 compatibility, auxillary ports, or satellite radio.
Some of the things I like about my Vue don't have anything to do with the stock car. The sunroof, which I love, was installed by a 3rd party (but expertly handled by the Saturn dealership) and they also coordinated having a trailer hitch put on. On the whole, I like my Saturn Vue. A lot.
The only problem is, in face, the hybrid component. I've had to have the hybrid batteries replaced because of problems twice, and I think I'll have to have it done again. All in a time frame that it less than half the life of a normal car battery. The second time, the hybrid battery had leaked and corroded and the tray that held it had to be replaced. But, even then, Saturn handled all that, and payed for my rental to boot. So, no harm, no foul.
But the hybrid component doesn't help much in terms of gas savings. The engine is underpowered--because of the so-called "hybrid assist"--and I'm pretty sure 100% of the gas savings come from the underpowered 4-cylinder engine. I don't think the hybrid component saves me a nickles worth of gas--they could have just stuck the same lawnmower engine in the car and been done with it, for all it's doing to "save the planet".
Yet, I still love my Saturn. And I support the idea of hybrids--I think making progress in gas/electric hybrids is a good thing, and in ten or twenty years we'll probably have big cars and SUVs that actually get a real benefit in terms of performance and gas mileage from being hybrids. Just . . . not quite yet.
Frankly, I don't see why GM and Saturn are suffering. They are trying new things, and they clearly understand the market better than Dodge when it comes to things like accessories. Maybe they don't get it as well as Toyota or Nissan, but my Saturn Vue is a much more up-to-date car than my Dodge Caravan--which was a 2005--and the buying experience demonstrated much more savvy marketing than the Dodge Caravan purchasing experience. Plus, the accessories from the Saturn vehicles were from this century.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't like a Dodge Charger. You know, as a 3rd car or something. But I'm not going to hold my breath.
Seriously, they are. Which is a good thing. Using a modern secular myth to justify looting the private sector and punishing the tax payer is reprehensible, and the more people who wake up to the same, the better.
The Jawa Report has a breakdown on how Axelrod and the Obama campaign are trying to make fake grassroots campaigns to smear Sarah Palin, while, at the same time, leaving a trail of smoking guns everywhere. No wonder the left like's to tell us they are the smartest and most ethical folks out there!
The Journal of Feminist Insight blog has a breakdown of softballs Charlie Gibson tossed Obama vs. the prosecutorial nature of his questions for Palin. Pretty damning stuff, indeed. For Obama: How does it feel to win? For Palin: Do you have enough qualifications for the job your seeking? And on and on and on.
Not classy, Charlie.
Apparently to folks of the left, the ends will always justify the means. Ruin people, lie, cheat, steal, anything short of murder (and, hmm, who knows, maybe that, too) is okay if it means you get universal healthcare and progressive taxation. Learning that, on the left, the end always justifies the means is why I'm not a liberal today.
